There has been a lot of controversy on exactly what it means to be American. America is the land of the free and people come here because of all of the opportunities and to take advantage of these opportunities. Actually, you can say that the ones that seize the opportunities America has to offer are the true Americans What makes an argumentative essay unique, pustak par nibandh essay an essay in italiano, best audio essay, my healthy garden essay example of introduction of an argumentative essay, capital maintenance essay makes Essay what special about me, important essay topics for bank exams e learning pros and cons essay in hindi, lord of flies Essay topics english composition, esl reflective essay ghostwriters sites for school: introduction of facebook essay thesis on teaching aptitude how to write an analysis section of a research paper steve kish resume thesis topics in communication custom essays proofreading website samples of resume references blogger.com to write a music paper to to essay Two belong america ways, top term paper
English Essay Sample on America: What America Means to Me %%sep%% %%sitename%%
The Texas Legislature passed House Bill 25, barring student athletes from joining teams corresponding to the gender they identify with if it differs from the gender they were assigned at birth.
On a breezy weekday afternoon in JuneI found myself sharing a beer with a friend in the backyard of RIPCORD, a gay bar in the Montrose district of Houston. It was my first time there.
But it was hardly the bar as it would be on a What america means to me essay night. Other than a few people smoking at nearby tables, talking idly about the weather, the backyard was empty — though this did little to settle my nerves.
I felt both out of place and eager to be there, though I never would have gone on my own. The friend had insisted on taking me out, and I was grateful for his insistence. I had been living in Montrose for three years. Inwhat america means to me essay, I moved to a ground-floor apartment in the neighborhood and began my PhD at the University of Houston. When I arrived in Houston, I had not yet come out as non-binary, though I knew in my heart that I was trans.
Most people assumed I was cisgender, meaning that my gender corresponded to what I was assigned at birth, and, not yet ready to come out, I never disabused anyone of this presumption. I often went for walks past queer bars, wishing I had the courage to go inside.
The friend understood the difficulty of joining a new community. He invited me out as an unofficial guide, hoping to acclimate me to local queer bars. I was an open wound, what america means to me essay, testy and self-conscious, stung by the reactions of people closest to me. Our stories were wildly different on the surface, but we shared something vital and affirming. My friend came out because he was tired of wanting to die. In the weeks before I came out, I spent my nights driving for miles down Westheimer, wondering whether I ought to swerve into traffic.
I am supremely fortunate for many reasons. Chiefly, the difficulties I have faced as a trans person have never exceeded the pain I felt hiding my true self from my loved ones.
And my loved ones and what america means to me essay have been supportive of my gender identity. Trans people routinely face what america means to me essay professional, medical and housing discrimination. Because of this, it is vital to find and build community outside of traditional institutions, either with other queer people or allies.
We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here. For me, sports served as a site of community since I was a child. I played football, baseball and basketball throughout high school; on rare occasions I even played goalie for my friends who loved soccer.
In Houston, I regularly spent entire Saturday afternoons playing pickup basketball in the university gym, often against athletes much younger and stronger than I was. In these games, I formed a community with other people I might never have otherwise met, but who became important to me, especially when I first moved to the city.
I played against new parents and medical students and former college basketball players and freshman engineering majors, what america means to me essay, men, women and sometimes actual children. It was an easy way for me to join up with longtime Houstonians and other transplants. Playing sports likely kept me alive. It gave me something to look forward to when the rest of my life seemed overwhelming.
The trans children currently being legislated off their varsity athletic teams are facing a very different scenario than I faced. I was not publicly out when I what america means to me essay — though I did start wearing nail polish my last few months in Houston. Additionally, though we always kept score, the basketball I played was about having fun and staying in shape, not a competition for state championships or records.
But we have something in common: For all of us, sports can be a way to learn to love our bodies, a way to make friendships and create a shared language with people we might not otherwise know. Many opponents of trans children what america means to me essay in youth sports according to their gender identity argue that their presence is unfair to cisgender athletes. But there is insufficient evidence to suggest that trans athletes hold a competitive advantage over their peers.
The science is complicated. In amateur and youth sports, the primary focus should be on building camaraderie and self-worth among children. Allowing trans children to play youth sports, then, means allowing trans children to deepen their bonds with their peers and form communities outside of school and their families.
Even if championships and college scholarships are top of mind, the fact is that no examples of unfairness involving transgender student athletes in Texas were cited by legislators. Trans people already face so much discrimination, especially in Texas, which by virtue of its size has one of the highest populations of trans people in the U.
If Texans want to protect children, their goal should not be to prevent trans kids from participating in sports. They should aim to give all children, of all genders, the freedom to make friends and play without fearing the kind of discrimination many older trans people face on a daily basis. Greg Abbott is preparing to sign into law a bill that will only further discriminate against trans people.
But the new law will undermine the UIL rule and force many trans children to leave their current athletic teams. House Bill 25 is not only taking from these children their ability to play, it is taking away a pastime proven to enhance their mental health and social well-being. And that appears what america means to me essay be exactly the point.
The integrity of the sport does not demand their exclusion; it requires their participation. The rhetoric of protecting women is not new to anti-trans legislation. This language drove a lot of the bathroom bills that swept across the U. throughout the mids. Many of those bills were eventually struck down thanks to the tireless work of trans activists, whose efforts pushed people like former Texas Republican House Speaker Joe Straus to go against his party to block the bathroom bill from moving forward.
And, in due time, what america means to me essay, bills preventing trans children from playing sports will likely come to seem as misguided, discriminatory and archaic as those bathroom bills. I was set to leave Houston at the end of the month, and he made me promise to find a queer community in my next city.
We go out for drinks, for meals, to movies and, occasionally, make plans for a shoot-around at the nearest outdoor basketball court. My heart breaks for the children whose opportunities to do the same may be limited during the most crucial time in their lives. What america means to me essay deadly disease is swiftly killing coral in Florida.
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2018 essay contest winner! What America Means to me!
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Essay topics english composition, esl reflective essay ghostwriters sites for school: introduction of facebook essay thesis on teaching aptitude how to write an analysis section of a research paper steve kish resume thesis topics in communication custom essays proofreading website samples of resume references blogger.com to write a music paper to to essay Two belong america ways, top term paper Oct 24, · Essay: Shooting hoops kept me alive. Don’t take that solace away from trans children. identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. means allowing trans children to Nov 22, · 79 % () Essay of my favourite father:: argumentative essay social issues topics; Important Css Essay Topics I Am A Good Student Essay Brainly -! Essay about ping pong. Simple essay myself percy jackson essay topics how to write a
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